Wisconsin Badgers
The Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team is a NCAA Division I college basketball team competing in the Big Ten Conference. Home games are played at the Kohl Center, located on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus in Madison, Wisconsin. History Early Years (1898–1911) Wisconsin Badger basketball began in December, 1898 with the formation of its first team coached by Dr. James C. Elsom. The Badgers played their first game on January 21, 1899, losing to the Milwaukee Normal Alumni 25-15 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin http://www.uwbadgers.com/pdf/?id=4384. In 1905, Christian Steinmetz became the first Wisconsin Badger basketball player to be named All-American. In the 1906-07 season, Wisconsin won its first share of the Big 10 Championship, under the coaching of Emmett Angell. They won it again the next year in 1908. Walter Meanwell Era (1911–1934) Walter Meanwell began coaching the Badgers in 1911. In his first season, he led Wisconsin to an undefeated season (15-0), and then led them to another 15-0 season in 1913-14. Meanwell's teams would win eight Big Ten Championships during his tenure, in 1912, 1913, 1914, 1916, 1921, 1923, 1924, and 1929. Between the 1917-18 and 1919-20 seasons, Guy Lowman coached the Badgers, leading them to a 1918 Big Ten Conference Championship before Meanwell returned in 1920. Meanwell would also coach two All-Americans during his Wisconsin career, George Levis in 1916 and Harold "Bud" Foster in 1930. On December 18, 1930, the first game was played in the new Wisconsin Field House, a basketball arena with a capacity of 11,500. Harold Foster Era (1934–1959) Starting with the 1934-35 season, former UW basketball player Bud Foster began coaching the Wisconsin Badgers. In his first season as head coach, he led the Badgers to their 12th Big Ten Conference Championship in 28 years. In 1941, Foster led the Badgers to their only NCAA Championship in history. With the help of tournament MVP John Kotz and All-American Gene Englund, the Badgers beat Washington State 39-34 in the final game of the NCAA Tournament. It was their first ever invitation to the NCAA Tournament, after winning the Big Ten Championship in that year. Foster coached three All-Americans during his tenure, Gene Englund in 1941, John Kotz in 1942, and Don Rehfeldt in 1950. The Badgers would go on to win one more Big Ten championship in 1947 and attend their second NCAA Tournament before a 50 year slump that wouldn't end until the 1990s. Recent Years Final Four (1999–2000) In 2000, the Badgers, coached by Dick Bennett, entered the NCAA tournament seeded # 8 in the West bracket. Beyond most expectations, they defeated # 9 Fresno St, # 1 Arizona, # 4 LSU, and # 6 Purdue in order to advance to the Final Four. However, the Badgers then lost to #1 and eventual national champion Michigan State 53-41. 2000–2001 Season After three games into the 2000-01 season, Wisconsin coach Dick Bennett abruptly retired due to burnout, causing the Badgers to promote assistant Brad Soderberg to head coach. Soderberg led Wisconsin to a 18-11 record, but lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament, which was seen as a major disappointment to many Wisconsin fans. Soderberg was let go at the end of the season, and Wisconsin hired Bo Ryan as the new head coach. 2001–02 Season In the 2001-02 season, under the new leadership of Bo Ryan, the Badgers won a share of the Big Ten Conference Championship for the first time since 1947, tying for first place in the Big Ten with Indiana, Illinois, and Ohio State. 2002–03 Season In the 2002-03 season, the Badgers won the Big Ten Conference Championship outright. With three games remaining in the regular season, they were tied with Michigan and Illinois. After beating Michigan and Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois were set up for a final game showdown at the Kohl Center, with the winner becoming Big Ten champion. Wisconsin won the game in the final seconds on two Devin Harris free throws. However, Wisconsin lost in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament to Ohio State. The Badgers then attended the NCAA tournament with a # 5 seed. They beat Weber State in the first round, then rallied from 13 points down to beat Tulsa in the second round. The Badgers then lost to Kentucky in the Sweet 16. 2003–04 Season In the 2003-04 season, Wisconsin finished second in the Big Ten behind Illinois. They went on to win the Big Ten Tournament for the first time since its inception in 1998. The Badgers defeated Minnesota in a quarterfinal, rallied to beat Michigan State in a semifinal, and defeated Illinois in the final. However, because the game was played too late to be taken under consideration by the NCAA Tournament selection committee, the Badgers received a # 6 seed. They defeated Richmond in the first round before losing to # 3 seed Pittsburgh in the second round. 2004–05 Season In the 2004-05 season, Wisconsin finished third in the Big Ten. In the Big Ten Tournament semifinal against Iowa, Alando Tucker made a long shot at the buzzer to give UW a 3 point win, but the Badgers lost to # 1 ranked Illinois in the championship. In the 2005 NCAA Tournament, Wisconsin advanced to the Elite Eight by defeating #11 seed Northern Iowa, #14 seed Bucknell, and #10 seed North Carolina State before losing to # 1 and eventual national champion, North Carolina. 2005–06 Season In the 2005-06 season, the Badgers had a somewhat disappointing season that culminated in a loss to Indiana in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals, and another loss to Arizona in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The highlight of the season was a win over interstate rival Marquette. 2006–07 Season At the beginning of the season, the Badgers played well with victories at in-state rival Marquette, and at home against #2 ranked Pittsburgh and #5 ranked Ohio State. Their lone non-conference loss was against Missouri State. They also lost on the road against Indiana on January 31. On February 19, 2007, the Badgers earned their first #1 ranking in school history with a 26-2 record, but the next day, were defeated by the unranked Michigan State Spartans 64-55 at the Breslin Center. A week later, they also lost to the #2 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes. Entering the Big Ten Tournament as the second seed, their first game was against Michigan State, for their third meeting in three weeks, who they defeated 70-57. Defeating the Illinois in the next round, the Badgers advanced to the final to face Ohio State, who defeated them 66-49. In the 2006-07 season, the Badgers finished in 2nd place in the Big Ten behind #1 ranked Ohio State. The Badgers were selected as a 2nd seed in the NCAA tournament, but were defeated by 7th seeded UNLV in the second round. 2007–08 Season In the 2007-08 season, the Badgers finished first in the Big Ten, winning the Big Ten regular season outright and the conference tournament, defeating the Illinois Fighting Illini in the finals. In the NCAA Tournament, the Badgers were awarded a No. 3 seed and won their first game against California State University, Fullerton. They followed that up with a win in the second round over Michael Beasley and the Kansas State Wildcats, due in part to 25 points from sophomore Trevon Hughes. The Badgers then lost to the No. 10 seed Davidson Wildcats by a score of 73-56 in the Sweet Sixteen. Historical Record *t = tied Coaching history Current NBA Players *Michael Finley (1995), drafted in first round by the Phoenix Suns, currently plays for the San Antonio Spurs. *Devin Harris (2004), drafted in first round by the Dallas Mavericks, currently plays for the New Jersey Nets. *Alando Tucker (2007), drafted in first round by the Phoenix Suns, currently plays for the Phoenix Suns. *Jon Leuer (2011), drafted in second round by the Milwaukee Bucks, currently plays for the Milwaukee Bucks. All-Time statistical leaders Single-game leaders * Points Scored: Michael Finley (42, 1994) & Ken Barnes (42, 1965) * Assists: Tracy Webster (13, 1992) & Wes Matthews (13, 1979) * Rebounds: Paul Morrow (30, 1953) * Steals: Mike Kelley (10, 1999) & Michael Finley (10, 1993) External links *Official Sports Site *Wisconsin Basketball History References *Wisconsin Basketball History "A WINNING TRADITION", University of Wisconsin-Madison *Year-by-Year Records UW-Madison *Wisconsin Badgers Sports Blog Category:Big Ten Conference members Category:Schools in Wisconsin Category:NCAA Division I schools Category:Big Ten Leaders Division members